This is staggering. If you hadn’t heard, New York Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro got a 15-year deal from the Isles yesterday. Why he got a 15-year deal, I have no idea. DiPietro, I’m sure, has no idea. His agent probably has no idea. But when the Islanders presented them with the other, they probably glanced at each other and scribbed his name on it as quickly as they possibly could.
15 years, $4.5 million a year. Would he have not signed the same deal for five years? Hell, make it ten. I just can’t understand what made the Islanders feel like this was necessary. DiPietro and his agent couldn’t have gone to the Islanders with a contract demand more outrageous than what actually transpired. At some point, there was a failure on the side of the Islanders to understand the negotiation process.
The NHL and the players union hammered out a deal that would protect franchises from overspending, and keep salaries in a reasonable place. My hearty congratulations go out to the Islanders for finding a way to shoot themselves in the foot anyway. It wasn’t easy, and there were obstacles in place, but you found a way, guys. Incredible determination, all of you.
This is, by the way, the same team that just hired their backup goalie to be their GM. And people are pointing the finger at Garth Snow, but I really don’t think he had a lot to do with it. It sounds like owner Charles Wang was the guy behind this.
“This is not a big deal,” owner Charles Wang said. “You have to have a commitment to who you’re working with. I’ve done this all my business career. Now I’m doing it in sports and everybody is like, ‘Oh my God. How could he do that?”‘
Well, not to be redundant, but how could you? DiPietro will be making $4.5 million per year. Observe:
Nikolai Khabibulin is the highest paid goaltender in the NHL at $6.75 million per year. Roberto Luongo makes $6 million a year, Marty Turco the same, Jose Theodore makes $5.75 mil, Olaf Kolzig $5.45 mil, Marty Broduer $5.2 mil, and Evgeni Nabokov an even $5 million. That’s 7 goalies who make more than DiPietro will be making. Meanwhile, there were 25 goalies in the NHL with better save percentages than DiPietro last year, and 31 goalies with better goals against averages.
So not only is it well above market value per year, it’s also at a completely absurd length. I apologize for the headline, even Isiah Thomas thinks this deal is screwy. Unless DiPietro has pictures of Wang molesting an endangered sea otter, this doesn’t make sense on any level.
unc_samurai
I could have sworn I heard the Sportcenter Radio guy add “The contract might have been even longer if DiPietro had a winning record.”
September 13, 2006 at 7:35 am
BA
Hey Wang quit taking pictures of the parking lot.
September 13, 2006 at 8:56 am
Unsilent Majority
Zulu?
September 13, 2006 at 8:57 am
TJ
Mr. Sulu owns the Islanders?
September 13, 2006 at 9:48 am
stedmala
Ummmmm . . . is anyone familiar with Computer Associates and their history? Surprised it was only 15 years.
’nuff said
September 13, 2006 at 10:25 am
obie
I heard Charles Wang is in contract negotiations with Michael Keaton to run the morning calisthetics. He loved the job he did in Gung-Ho.
September 13, 2006 at 10:46 am
Mark
Good for the Islanders.
You know why? Because there was nothing, absolutely NOTHING worse than paying Khabibulin $6.75 million per year to get injured, pulled from games in favor of a ROOKIE, or otherwise get trashed in the net for the entire game.
I’m a ‘Hawks fan. I went through the suffering last year, and I will likely go through more this year. I know that ‘Hawks fans don’t bet on whether the ‘Hawks will win or not…they bet on how long it takes for Khabibulin to be pulled from the game.
I will happily take DiPietro for 15 years over Khabibulin for three.
September 13, 2006 at 11:12 am
Andrew
Of course, of those goalies who make more, only Luongo and Brodeur are clearly better than DiPietro.
September 13, 2006 at 11:19 am
Suss
Every team needs its Tim Meadows.
September 13, 2006 at 11:38 am
Elliot
Maybe the Isles are confident that the NHL won’t be around for another 15 years?
September 13, 2006 at 1:25 pm
WBRS Sports Blog
MJD you are so right, this is certainly an Isiah Thomas like move.
September 13, 2006 at 2:30 pm
brooshkin
This is worse than that Jon Koncak concrak … er … contract … makes absolutely zero sense.
September 13, 2006 at 5:53 pm
Spulture
On some level I can see their logic…kind of…it’s like when you buy stocks and anticipate the price is going to go up. In this case, the owner is thinking that over 15 years, the cost of an NHL starting goalie will be much higher than 4.5 mil per year, and he’s probably right. Where it all falls apart is that he apparently doesn’t realize that this guy is barely a starting goalie now…what’s he going to be like in 3 years…or 10…or 15. And I like that if he’s injured then he gets all the money.
Also, you should have mentioned this is the same team that was already in cap trouble because they gave Alexi Yashin a 10 year deal, so some such shit.
September 13, 2006 at 7:19 pm
tony
And I like that if he’s injured then he gets all the money.
If I’m Rick DiPietro, I’m breaking my arm in training camp. Or finding Jeff Gilooley (sp?) and his crowbar.
September 14, 2006 at 11:40 am
WBRS Sports Blog
This goalie does show promise. He was 32nd in the NHL last year in regard to Goals Against Average…come on!
September 14, 2006 at 7:55 pm
Jay Miller
Goddamnit I love me some Wang.
Shoot some ducats on me, baby! Shoot some ducats on me!
September 15, 2006 at 2:34 am
Babs
Hey mjd,
When I heard the words “15-year deal” on the radio 2 days ago (in Vancouver, where we get a lot of hockey news), I assumed that I had misheard. Later, when I heard it a second time, I assumed I was drunk or had inadvertently consumed some hallucinogens. The third time? Damn! WTF? What possible precedence could there be for a 15-year deal? IN SPORTS???
Maybe for a lawyer, who is expected to retain his brain power over that period, and actually gain more knowledge and experience, thereby being more effective and valuable as the years pass? But a professional athlete? What a freakin’ joke! I don’t know if even Wayne Gretzky in his early years could have commanded 15 years…the potential injury factor is just too great.
And what a HORRIBLE precedence to set……can’t you just hear the agents now? Like the NHL didn’t have enough problems.
September 15, 2006 at 3:29 am
Jen Z
Is it possible this is all for publicity? At the rate they’re going, they could put together the craziest team in the league, garner huge media attention and fill the seats regardless of how the team actually plays.
September 15, 2006 at 1:28 pm
the sockk
This reminds me of the 10 year contract that Danny Ferry signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
September 19, 2006 at 12:21 am